Fresh From the Oven
Some outsiders would say Centim Library served as a division between the citizens of Centim Town and the inhabitants of Centim Forest, but to Centim's actual residents, it held significance and symbolized the intermediary relationship between man and nature. It was a building that represented the concept of Harmony, blending nature with the expansion of the mind. Most people left the building alone; only those who seeked information ventured into the strange, almost magical world that seemingly distorted time and space when you entered. To experience that sort of wondrous enchantment such as that was reason alone not to venture aimlessly into the edifice, lest risk perturbing the ancient rapport that was mindfully nurtured by both respective parties for years. To say the least, those who had no interests in learning were not welcomed, but even though she, herself, passed the qualifications for entry, the young girl couldn't help but find herself being slightly overwhelmed with the thick, cultural history surrounding the building. So, there should stood- feet planted in front of the mystical structure, mouth agape with awe. The sun was high in the sky at this point, but even with the sun's unforgiving rays beating down on her forehead like a makeshift solar panel, she couldn't will herself to enter the library, despite it offering protection from the harsh rays with bounties of cool shade. She had a purpose- and she knew that, but her great respect for mother nature in general was attempting to persuade her into believing that her intentions weren't satisfactory enough.The thought of being that one person, an outsider no less, who ruined everything for everybody her first couple of weeks being in the town was weighing in on her consciousness. Taking a few steps back, maybe she would just come back another day... But that wasn't happening anytime soon. A small, brown-furred, mammalian creature ram his skull into her back, sending her light frame flying helplessly into the library. Lana's voice, caught in her throat from the surprise attack, croaked out in astonishment. She spun around, eyes widened, and stared at the small Volpex, and fox-like creature poked his chest out and smiled back. Wiley skipped past her deeper into the library, slowing down to a trot as he examined the bookcases himself. Lana sighed knowingly, and followed Wiley's lead with a bounce in her step, already forgetting what was stopping her from before. Her delicate index finger teetered along the spines of the dust-covered books, shaking her head with each revealed title that wasn't fitting for what she was looking for. "Let me know if you find it, Wiley", Lana said. The Volpex barked in response. A good thirty minutes had passed and Lana still had no luck of finding the book. She wasn't the type of person who gave up when faced with an obstacle, but the dust was running rampant in her sinuses and she wasn't sure her body could handle anymore of the outrageous sneezing before one of her lungs collapsed. Even Wiley was run down with sniffles and cute sneezes, the only other sound filling the air besides the rustling of the trees and the few occasional birds chirping but Lana was starting to think that she had scared most of them off with all of her belching "ACHOOS!". With the last book inflicting her in a sneezing fest for two minutes straight, Lana practically gave up when Wiley yelped twice. "Huh? What is it, boy?" she called, heading over to the opposite side of the building where the sound originated. She knelt down to his level and he sneezed twice, pointing his small, black nose at a brown leather book with an intricate and intriguing design consisting of of three animals with similar appearances to that of Wiley, or rather, a Volpex. "Ah! You're just the best!" the Lana cheered, rubbing his head. Her nuzzle into her touch but groaned when she pulled away to open grab the book. With a gentle blow, the dust wafted in the air before exiting out the window. It was the first time the book hadn't tried to choke the both of them with it's sneeze-inducing particles and Lana felt that it was a sign. "A Guide to Volpex" by Egad Crosse, the title read. "Egad Crosse?", she wondered. Why did the name sound familiar? Was he a friend of her parents? Was he a pop star? Perhaps he was a Tamer? That seemed to make more sense considering it was a book written by him. A nudge from the Volpex brought the girl out of her thoughts and she opened the book to the first page which contained an entry titled: "'The History and Future of Volpex'" The Volpex, as recorded, may be one of the rarest creatures found in this day in age, besides '''Dragons and other mythical creatures such as the Phoenix and such. Due to nearly being hunted to extinction in X741 by the wealthy, in today's society, it's worth has nearly tripled. The value of the Volpex stems from the majestic coat that covers its body. This coat contains magic properties that makes it easier to mold and an undeniable warmth it gives the wearer. The wealthy valued this coat so much that they hired people to poach the Volpex from the Pergrandean Wilds. With great numbers averaging around 80,000, the Volpex were scarefully reduced to the mere double digits. Needless to say, if one should find a Volpex in this modern time, the Volpex is pretty much considered dead. Few can risk the temptations of gold.' The girl's eyes watered, filled with sorrow, and traveled down to the Volpex that rested against her legs.. She knew he could feel her sadness through the Tamer Link, because she could feel his. The next entry was titled: '"'Form Change of Volpex"' "''When introduced to a new environment, the spectacular Volpex have the ability to utilize a genetically-passed down magic known as Form Change. While the Volpex were able to utilize this magic in the past, albeit, minimally, it is estimated now that all modern day Volpex can use Form Change extensively due to their will to survive. Studies indicate that the Volpex are able to use such a magic because of their unstable yet unique genetic code. "The Form Change initiated by a Volpex is not permanent, as they can only sustain this alternate state for a short period of time. This change isn't just cosmetic either. Form Change is a stage of temporary evolution, meaning that the Volpex's physical and perhaps, mental ability, is greatly changed as well. It appears that one can only Form Change when they are in a certain environment. The Forms that the Volpex can change into have not been extensively documented due to the rareness of finding the Volpex, but there are several concepts of the Volpex transformation illustrated based off the accounts of people of the past. '' "''Though, it is predicted that the use of Form Change Magic is like a muscle, and the more one strengthens it, the longer and more powerful it can become." "Amazing!" Lana looked down at Wiley who greeted her energy with a bright smile of his own. "Who knew you were capable of this?" The final entry of the book was labeled: '''"'Author's Notes"' "''Like all other species books in the '''Egad Crosse Series', it should be noted that the Volpex is an incredible creature capable of many feats. And while I wished to put this next tidbit of information on the previous entry, I found it went against the principles of accurate information. I suspect that if a Volpex is able to Override their time span for their Form Change on a Full Moon, then they will obtain that form permanently. This theory can be influenced by the behavioral changes noticed in a Volpex during a Full Moon. Additionally, the average lifespan of a Volpex has not been determined due to the majority of them being hunted.'' "For those who wish to tame it, on the Taming Rate Scale, I give it a '''B'.'' "For those who have successfully tamed a Volpex, please treat them well and take care of it. Volpex have the uncanny ability of understanding languages, especially those prominent in the Pergrandean Region. If you already haven't noticed, several pages have been left blank because one day, I hope an aspiring Tamer can fill them in. If this is something you would like to do, please find me, Egad Crosse, once it has been Completed. '' "''Thank you for reading this book. Farwell." The girl flipped through the blank pages, envisioning them filled and her presenting it to the man himself. She stared Wiley in his eyes. "I, Lana del Creme, promise you, Wiley, that I'll treat you well and take care of you. I will also fill in this book and together, we'll show Mr. Egad Crosse just how powerful our bond is and that not all humans are horrible and greedy. Is that a deal?" she held out the topside of her hand towards the Volpex. He licked it excitedly. Placing the book in her bag, Lana swept up the light creature. "Come on. Let's go to Hercules '''and find Lexi. I'm sure she'll be happy to meet you." The two exited the library and started their trek through Centim Forest. ~***~ The sun's rays broke through the trees, lighting the faded dirt road Lana followed through the forest. Wiley and her had been walking for about three hours. Taking out the Pergrande Kingdom Map''' in her bag, she began to study it. She dragged her finger across the map. "Okay. If I'm right," she mumbled to Wiley who was walking a few feet in front of her. "We'll be out of this forest in two to three hours. The sun'll set in about four to five hours." She put the map away. Thirty minutes into their walk, the small Volpex suddenly stopped and rose his nose to the air. Lana stopped as well and waited patiently while he sniffed. "What is it, Wiley? What do you smell?" she tilted her head up the air and took in a huge whiff, but felt silly. It all smelled like forest to her. Her eyes widened as she took out her Lucky Pen and''' A Guide to Volpex'. '''Volpex, it appears, have a enhanced sense of smell. How enhanced? That has not been determined...' Closing the book, she placed the two objects back in her bag. "Wiley. What do you smell?" she asked again. The Volpex yelped three times, paused, then yelped again. "Hm? Another...human?" Lana asked. Wiley yelped again. "Where at?" Using his tail, he pointed it back towards the direction of Centim Town. "It's probably someone leaving town, same as us. Come on, let's go." Hesitant, the suspecting Volpex trailed behind his owner, keeping a nose on the strange scent. Lana pretended not to notice. It continued like this for the rest of their voyage and she was hoping Wiley would have given up on this idea, but their shared Tamer Link was forcing her to experience his paranoia and it was preventing her from being optimistic. She clutched her bag a little closer and picked up the pace subconsciously. With the end of the forest nearing, Lana was seriously starting to worry. She stopped abruptly, causing Wiley to bump into her shoes. He scrunched his tiny face, then looked up at his owner, wondering why she paused. Lana turned to look Wiley in his brown eyes. "Wiley. They're just leaving town like us. There's nothing to worry about." Lana said, sternly. "Now let's go, we're almost near the exit." Lana started to walk, but stopped when she didn't hear Wiley following her. She turned around and saw him, ears covering his eyes, crouching and snuffling . Lana sighed and walked over to him. "Wiley. Wiley?" He slowly lifted his ears from his eyes. He grumbled something. "Wiley. You know I'm not mad at you. I just want you to stop being so paranoid because you're making me paranoid. Tell you what, we'll wait for that person to come while we have lunch. How about that?" Wiley lifted his head excitedly and started to chase his tail. Lana laughed and started preparing the lunch. With her favorite''' Pink Blanket''' covering the ground, she found a tree that offered a lot of shade and took out some cookies. "Wiley!" she called. "Do you want a Creme Cookie?" The brown Volepx practically tackled the girl, snatching the two cookies from her hands in a swift swipe. He munched noisily. Lana took a bite out of her cookie as well and chewed thoughtfully. Could Wiley sense danger, like a spider? She thought about writing it down, but didn't figure she had sufficient evidence. She wrote it down anyway, just in case. About twenty minutes passed before a shadowy figure could be seen walking down the path. Lana, who had dozed off, was nudged awake by Wiley. He yelped several times, while pushing her leg with his paws. Lana's eyes fluttered open and she looked around. Noticing the figure, she stood up, dusting her legs free of crumbs. Figuring she had enough time, Lana packed up her blanket and things and put it back in her bag. Wiley and her waited patiently, almost anxiously, wondering who the dark silhouette in the forest was. The dark figure turned out to be a girl. Upon closer inspection, she appeared to be holding a strange toothed dagger, making Lana feel uncomfortable. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She now had a reason to clutch her handbag. "Is that a Volpex?" she yelled from across the small opening. Her head was down and her bangs shadowed her eyes. "Y-yeah! I just tamed it!" Lana responded, somewhat cheerfully. Wiley moved behind Lana's leg, who shivered at the sudden touch. His hairs were sticking up and the hairs on her arms were starting to, as well. But he wasn't scared, she noted- on the contrary, he was revving himself up for a fight and that was what scared her the most. "That's going to be a problem." The stranger raised her head, and fierce blue eyes practically shot a hole through Lana's confidence.The sunlight reflected off of her weapon as she pointed it at Lana and Wiley. Taking a step back, Lana cleared her throat. "I'm not sure what you mean." "I've been in the forest tracking Volpex for weeks and you find it on your first day without even looking?! I'm taking that Volpex!" she yelled, twirling her blade to intimidate the two. "How long have you been watching me? Who are you?!" Lana interrogated, figuring it would be best to get as much information out of her as possible. "That'll all be irrelevant after I throw your lifeless body in the nearby river!" she returned. Lana gasped, but calmed her breathing. Such restraint on her emotions was thanks to Wiley's confidence streaming through the Tamer Link. She couldn't imagine anything but running away if she were in a situation like this on different circumstances without the Volpex. Wiley was scratching the dirt behind her and she continued to pry, hoping to target her conscious... if she had one. "Please don't tell me you're after this Volpex because of its fur?" Lana shouted. "Think about how he feels. How would you like it if you were being exploited?" The girl flinched slightly and sneered. "I still am." And with that, the stranger readied her sword and charged. Wiley barked at Lana, urging her to move, but she didn't. Instead, she stood there, feet planted int he ground. Their Tamer Link and borrowed emotions didn't matter anymore. Lana was frozen in fear. Nothing could have changed that. TO BE CONTINUED~~~ Episode 2 --> Vanilla and Chocolate Category:StorylineCategory:GrandeCategory:Pergrande